Beauty blogger talks products, styles
Published: 01 Mar. 2012, 21:53
Makeup beauty blogger Lee Byeong-chul puts on products at his home in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi. By Park Sang-moon
“We all aspire to be beautiful in our own ways. For me, beauty products go beyond skincare - they represent a sense of hope,” he said.
Before he started his beauty blog in 2004, Lee said he once spent around 500,000 won ($448) to 600,000 won on grooming products every month.
“I used to be drawn to products with fancy packages and advertisements people were talking about, but now that I have more experience, I am drawn to simple, classic products that do what they say they are going to do.”
His morning beauty routine includes around 10 products, from cleansing oil to eye cream, facial sunscreen, tinted mineral powder and highlighting liquid. Amidst hundreds of beauty products lining up his bookshelves at his home in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, Lee talked about his early fascination with makeup and his beauty role models.
Q. Take me through your morning beauty routine.
A. In the morning, I wash my face with cleaning foam and then tone my face with an exfoliating toner. I moisturize with anti-aging serum, eye cream and moisturizer, then put on sunscreen using one for the whole face and neck and a separate one for the area around the eyes. Then I put on some mineral powder on my face and then highlight my brow bone and cheeks. I don’t like to use BB creams because they make my face appear a bit ashy-grey.
When did your interest in beauty products start?
It started very early. My mom tells me that I used Nivea cream on my face when I was two or three.
When I was in fifth grade, I was fascinated by a Yves Saint Laurant makeup campaign that was based on the 007 film “GoldenEye” (1995) and I really wanted the red YSL lipstick from that line. So I saved up my lunch money for months and bought my first red lipstick.
What kinds of products are you drawn to now?
When I was younger, I liked really fancy, pretty makeup products. I think I was drawn more to the fantasy of the advertisements than anything else. But now that I am older, I like honest products that do what they say they will do and are faithful to moisturizing and exfoliating the skin. I think it is getting more difficult to find these kinds of products now because the beauty industry has become so big, with each brand introducing new products every season.
Do you have a beauty role model and what is your philosophy about makeup?
I saw the actor Song Joong-ki in real life once and was awestruck by his flawless skin. I couldn’t believe that a man could look so elegant and graceful. Korean women use too much makeup. In my opinion, taking care of your skin and being diligent .?.?. is much more important than piling on makeup.
[jainnie@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)